DRIVERS can now travel at speeds of up to 42mph in a 30mph zone without being fined or given penalty points, the Telegraph can reveal.
Motorists are instead being given the chance to attend a speed awareness course, costing £95, to educate them about the dangers.
Under the previous rules, drivers travelling at ten per cent over the speed limit, plus two to six miles per hour, were offered the course.
This has now increased to those travelling at 10 per cent over the speed limit, plus two to nine miles per hour, meaning drivers can travel at speeds of up to 42mph in a 30mph zone without facing a fine and points.
Mick Harris, partnership manager for Safer Roads Humber, said the courses can be more effective than fines and points.
"It is better to educate people than it is to punish them, at least in the first instance," he said.
"The course gives them the opportunity to change their behaviour.
"It is not about pointing the finger and telling them they've been naughty, it is about making them aware of the potential consequences of speeding and what difference it makes if they are involved in a collision. It makes them think."
In 2011 – the last year for which figures are available – 36,336 drivers were caught speeding across Humberside.
Of those, 19,200 went on a speed awareness course, generating £1.8 million for Safer Roads Humber's campaigns and the costs of running the courses.
A further 13,573 drivers received a £60 fine and three penalty points. That generated £814,380, which goes to the Treasury.
Mr Harris said the rise in the limit does not give drivers a licence to speed. "It would be dangerous and unwise to make the assumption that now you can drive at 40mph without being prosecuted," he said.
"The courses are subject to conditions and, if a driver is stopped by a traffic officer, they may use their discretion to say that a course isn't appropriate. This might be the case if they are travelling at high speeds outside a school or hospital."
The new thresholds mean drivers travelling up to 53mph in a 40mph zone, 64mph in a 50mph area or 75 in a 60mph zone can be offered the course.
Drivers are only offered the courses if they have not already been on one in the past three years.
Motorists who commit other crimes at the same time as speeding, such as driving without a licence or insurance, or who exceed the speed limit by a large amount will be taken to court.
PC Keith Ward, a Humberside Police casualty reduction officer, said: "Within certain thresholds, diversion schemes such as the speed awareness course are available.
"Traffic officers produce an offence report and then submit it to the central ticket office, who decide what action to take and whether that will include the course.
"However, sometimes there can be no choice but to take a driver to court."
Road safety campaigners and charities have said they support the courses when they are used correctly.
Franki Hackett, campaigns officer at the charity Brake said: "Speed awareness courses are evidenced to be effective at reducing re-offending for speeding, so Brake supports them when used for first-time offenders.
"Speeding makes crashes more likely and more serious, and causes a huge amount of heartache each year, so it is vital we use evidenced methods to stamp it out for good.
"It is vital drivers understand the difference speeding even a little over the limit can make and commit to stay well within speed limits, to keep themselves and everyone else safe."
The Association of Chief Police Officers advises forces to offer courses when drivers are travelling at ten per cent over the speed limit plus two to six miles per hour – less than the limit in Humberside.
A spokesman for ACPO said: "The guidelines are only for forces to consider and it is permissible to have some minor variation."
